3 months ago
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India has assumed the seat of the Kimberley Process (KP) for the twelvemonth 2026. The KP is simply a multinational mechanics oregon operation for governing the commercialized of ‘conflict diamonds’ — the unsmooth (or pre-polished) diamonds which are utilized illegally by rebel oregon insurgent groups crossed the satellite to undermine oregon endanger morganatic governments. The KP was initiated successful May 2000 erstwhile the countries of confederate Africa initiated dialogues to forestall the commercialized successful struggle diamonds. Negotiations with 37 signatory parties, successful 2003, led to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). Today, the KP has 60 participants, representing 86 countries, and accounts for astir 99.8% of the planetary unsmooth diamond production.
The existent structure
The KPCS is the mechanics to forestall the commercialized of struggle diamonds, which is enforced individually by KP subordinate countries to guarantee that unsmooth diamonds successful the morganatic proviso concatenation are KP-compliant. Each consignment is accompanied by a KP certificate corroborated by a subordinate country. The unsmooth diamonds commercialized is permitted lone betwixt certified KP members who comply afloat with these planetary standards. Additionally, subordinate countries are obliged to stock timely and close statistical information for diamond accumulation and trade.
Angola, Botswana, Canada, Congo, Namibia and Russia unsocial relationship for much than 85% of the accumulation of unsmooth diamonds, successful quantity and worth terms. Though India is not a producer, it is simply a large importer of unsmooth diamonds, importing astir 40% of the full planetary imports, some successful quantity and value. As the world’s starring cutting and polishing hub, centered successful Surat and Mumbai, India re-exports polished diamonds to large markets which see China, Hong Kong, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. India’s strategical position, astatine the bosom of the planetary diamond worth chain, gives it unsocial leverage wrong the KP to steer meaningful reforms successful planetary diamond governance.
The halfway issues for India
The KP, a tripartite setup of governments, manufacture organisations and civilian society, faces overmuch disapproval and challenges. First, a long-standing disapproval is astir the explanation of ‘conflict diamonds’. Its scope is precise narrow, capturing lone the fiscal mechanics betwixt rebel groups and governments, portion ignoring the illicit usage of unsmooth diamonds successful state-linked abuses, quality rights violations and quality trafficking, biology harm, abuses successful artisanal mining, and illicit commercialized channels.
There are besides cardinal questions astir the decision-making process. Civil nine asks however the KP tin ever place ‘conflict diamonds’ if immoderate specified determination is taxable to governmental veto. Under the existent system, immoderate determination tin beryllium blocked. What happens erstwhile the KP identifies struggle diamonds?
The lawsuit of the Central African Republic, which was banned from exporting unsmooth diamonds successful 2013 and rejoined successful 2024, shows that embargoes without beardown enactment measures thin to summation smuggling and worsen unit alternatively than halt it. Additionally, portion galore governments highlighted the request to support the mining communities, determination was little statement connected whether the KP should besides code state-related violence. A much inclusive attack would amended bespeak the afloat scope of challenges communities experience.
Going forward, India whitethorn broaden the agenda, without reopening governmental fights, by forming a method moving radical connected unit and quality rights risks beyond rebel insurgencies. The findings/recommendations from this radical whitethorn physique a statement earlier immoderate re-definition of struggle diamonds.
India tin leverage its technological strengths to beforehand digital, tamper-proof KP certificates and harmonised customs information exchange. A blockchain-based certification system, wherever each shipment carries a unique, immutable and time-stamped integer grounds linked to cardinal shipment details, would importantly trim fraud, heighten transparency, and modernise KP operations.
At the aforesaid time, India tin enactment shaper countries by establishing determination KP method hubs successful cardinal producing areas, peculiarly successful cardinal and eastbound Africa, offering training, IT support, certification assistance and forensic capacity. Such capacity-building would marque reforms much feasible and collaborative alternatively than punitive.
Additionally, India tin beforehand organization reforms by adopting autarkic oregon third-party audits successful a subset of participants and propulsion for afloat nationalist merchandise of granular KP statistic from subordinate countries. This is simply a measurement towards greater transparency. Since the KP’s spot is its tripartite structure, India tin guarantee that civilian nine engagement remains robust by facilitating unfastened connection channels.
Focus connected Africa
To code the assemblage challenges, India tin item however diamonds lend to livelihoods successful Africa. It tin propulsion the KP to explicitly admit this world by aligning its enactment with applicable Sustainable Development Goals, specified arsenic decent work, poorness simplification and liable consumption. India tin assistance guarantee that the KP model channels diamond revenues toward assemblage development, supporting health, education, and section infrastructure, alternatively than allowing mining regions to beryllium bypassed. This would assistance displacement the KP’s communicative from blocking atrocious diamonds to enabling a liable and inclusive diamond trade.
India, arsenic the KP seat and the person of the Global South, should commencement pursuing the betterment docket much aggressively to marque it a much inclusive, progressive, sustainable, and rule-based multilateral body.
Himanshu Jaiswal is Research Fellow astatine Infisum Modeling. Badri Narayanan is the Founder and Director of Infisum Modeling
